Fire chief calls for demolition of derelict Wigan mill plagued by arsonists

A crew from Wigan station was at the Grade II listed Pagefield buildings on Bridgeman Terrace for the 11th time in recent days at 8pm on Tuesday May 3.

For years the edifice, also known as Rylands Mill and a former Wigan and Leigh College annexe, has been targeted by youngsters bent on mischief and destruction to the point that it is now highly unstable.

Security measures have failed to keep intruders out and all attempts by the council to get the mysterious owners of the mill to shore up or renovate the place have fallen on deaf ears.

The latest emergency saw a section of roofing, which had collapsed onto the third floor following a previous fire, now being set alight again.

It meant the crew dragging a hose up to that storey in order to douse the flames.

Crew manager Steve Waygood said: “There comes a point when you arrive at the Pagefield Building with 10 to 15 firefighters and wonder whether it is worth risking them going inside.

"We have reached the stage now when the the place is just a shell and even that is compromised. It is beyond renovation.

"It looks fit only for the bulldozers to me – in fact it’s a matter of urgency – but obviously that’s not my decision.

"Doing so is a long and complicated process, I know. There is so much red tape because it is listed. We are working with the council to get this resolved.

"But it is a massive hazard for the children who ‘play’ there and the firefighters who have to tackle the fires that are regularly set there.

"There have been multiple breaches of the fencing and the place is very vulnerable.

"It is a huge worry that it will take someone to get seriously hurt – or worse – before something gets done about it.”

Crew manager Waygood said that the constant visits to the Pagefield Mill were also a large drain on emergency services’ time and resources.